Press Release For 07/97

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Harrisburg Waterfront to Host
Central Pa’s July 4th Celebration
Harrisburg, Pa.— An Independence Weekend Celebration, commemorating our nation’s 221st birthday, will be held along the banks of Riverfront Park and on City Island. The celebration will opened on Thursday July 3 and conclude on Sunday, July 6, with a spectacular fireworks show over the Susquehanna River.

Festivities for this year’s event include: over 100 rides, games, exhibits and food vendors, more than 20 musical acts and concerts, over 75 children’s activities, a mass inner tube float, soccer exhibition, state karate, volleyball and Bass fishing tournaments, ZooAmerica presentations, live theater and more. In addition, the Yiengst Magic Circus will perform under a big top on City Island and the Delaware Valley Dragboat Association returns for another year of exciting powerboat racing. All of the activities culminate with a grand finale of fireworks choreographed to music and simulcast live of WTPA-93.5 FM. For the first time in Harrisburg history the fireworks display will also be broadcast live on television on WLYH UPN-15, beginning at 9:15p.m. (The raindate for the fireworks display is Monday, July 7, at 9:15p.m.) It is the largest Independence Celebration ever held in the Mid-State.

The City will be closing North Front Street from Forster to Walnut Street beginning at 9a.m. on Thursday, July 3, and will remain closed to traffic until 7a.m. Monday, July 7. Parking on City Island will cost $1 per vehicle throughout the weekend, and free parking is being offered at the Market Square Parking Garage all weekend long. The Locust Street Garage will also be opened for free parking on Sunday evening for the fireworks display.

Bagel Bakery Chain Opens in Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, Pa. – Mayor Stephen R. Reed welcomed another national chain to Harrisburg’s growing restaurant business base on June 10 by conducting ribbon cutting ceremonies in Strawberry Square for the newest location of the Chesapeake Bagel Bakery. It is the first city-based franchise of the popular 166-store national chain to open in Harrisburg.

The Harrisburg Chesapeake Bagel Bakery represents an investment of more than $250,000 in the city. Local construction firms were used and more than 20 new full and part-time jobs have been created.

According to Reed the Bagel Bakery, "offers high quality products and service to the downtown workforce. We are delighted to welcome a franchise of Bagel Baker’s caliber to Harrisburg and we expect great success for their efforts here."

There are currently 164 Bagel Bakery restaurants located across the country, with plans to open an additional 50 before December 1997, including three more in Harrisburg and the surrounding area. The Strawberry Square Chesapeake Bagel Bakery is open weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Citizens Reminded of Ban on
Sale and Discharge of Fireworks
Harrisburg, Pa. – Residents and businesses were reminded by Mayor Stephen R. Reed last month that the sale or discharge of fireworks is prohibited within the city by state and local ordinances. Violators face large fines and possible jail sentences, along with the confiscation of any additional fireworks.

It is a violation for anyone to store, sell, use or explode a firework except for at specifically authorized displays. According to Reed, itinerant vendors often set up retail fireworks sales stands around the region, in violation of state and local ordinances. City residents are advised that these operations are illegal and should not be patronized.

Ribbon Cutting Held for Appalachian Brewing Company
Harrisburg, Pa. – Ribbon cutting services for the Appalachian Brewing Company were conducted by Mayor Stephen R. Reed on June 9, 1997. The Brewing Company is the city’s first microbrewery and the first brewer to be housed in the city in over a half-century. Located on N. Cameron Street, the rehabilitated complex contains brewing equipment capable of manufacturing 16,000 barrels a year, along with a restaurant, pub, and Munich-style beer hall."Appalachian is an exciting addition to Harrisburg’s growing entertainment base. The refurbishment of the building, a site written off by other, shows the high quality that can be achieved through the reuse of former industrial facilities," Reed said. "The project is a fine addition to the city’s job, tax and economic bases."

The brewery, located within Paxton Commons, is in a former city-owned building the city committed to the project. It was funded in part by a special project loan from the city and will create 39 new full and part-time jobs.

Array of Summer Recreational Programs in City Underway
Harrisburg, Pa. – This summer, the City of Harrisburg will host their most extensive array of summer recreational programs. The programs, ranging from on-going activities to one-time events, are being conducted in various city parks, playgrounds and pool sites. The Summer Enrichment Program is operating in addition to the city’s already extensive summer special event series which features festivals, concerts and neighborhood block parties. "Harrisburg’s parks system, special events program and recreational activities are today the most extensive of any municipality in the mid-state. Nearly everything in our Summer Enrichment Program is open free of charge and all are invited to participate in every activity," Reed said.

Allied Arts Fund Reaches Half of Million Dollar Goal
Harrisburg, Pa. – The Allied Arts Fund Campaign announced on June 5, that it had reached the half-way mark of its current goal to raise $1 million for Central Pennsylvania’s leading arts and cultural organizations. "The success of this year’s campaign is a tribute to all the Allied Arts Fund Board members and other community volunteers who are dedicating their time and talent to support the arts in our community," said campaign co-chair Mary Webber of Webber Associates.

According to 1997 campaign co-chair John Butler Davis, president of John Butler Davis Associates, Allied Arts Fund board member’s individual gifts and donations from their affiliated companies represent approximately 25 percent of the total campaign goal.

Sprint Contributes to The Whitaker Center
Harrisburg, Pa. – The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts received a $150,000 gift from Sprint on May 29. This contribution to the development budget gives Sprint the opportunity to name an icon exhibit in the science center’s Galleries of Sound. The Galleries of Sound will feature interactive learning stations demonstrating the physics of sound and the uses of sound in medicine, the arts and communication. "Sprint is a long-time supporter of education and economic development," said Randy Osler, president of Sprint’s North Central Operations. "We’re excited to participate n creating exhibits that will allow youth from throughout our region to learn about science and, hopefully, encourage them to become the technologically advanced work force this region will need tomorrow."

Summer Public Astronomical
Observing at Naylor Observatory
Lewisberry, Pa. – The Astronomical Society of Harrisburg’s Naylor Observatory will be open, weather permitting, at 9:30 p.m. every Sunday night from June 1 to August 31. The public will have the opportunity to view free such celestial objects as planets and moons, binary stars, open and globular star clusters, nebulae and distant galaxies. Members of the ASH will be present to operate various large telescopes and answer questions about astronomy.

Interested parties are advised to call 938-6041 at 9 p.m. to confirm that observing will occur or to obtain directions. For additional information and a monthly report on astronomical events browse the ASH home page at http://www.msd.org/ash_hp.htm.

New Capital Area Head Start Center Opens in City
Harrisburg, Pa. – Mayor Stephen R. Reed officially opened the Capital Area Head Start’s new Granite Street Center, 1709 N. Fourth Street, on June 4. The new center now house Head Start’ extensive program activities of pre-school youth located in uptown Harrisburg, and joins the six other existing Head Start centers located in the Harrisburg area.

According to Reed, the Granite Street Center has become a reality, in part because of the generosity of a wide array of local businesses. Over $35,000 in work and materials were donated by area businesses, including the architectural firm of Willigerod and McAvoy, who performed all of the building’s design work at no cost.

Minor League Football Comes to City Island
Harrisburg, Pa. – The Central Pennsylvania Piranha, the midstate’s only minor league football team, will play five of their seven 1997 regular season home games at City Island’s Skyline Sports Complex. The Piranha’s 1997 season begins in July and runs through November, depending on the team’s playoff status.

The Piranha’s, who were the National Minor League Football runner-ups in their first two seasons, are a developmental league for the organized professional football league’s such as the NFL, Arena Football and Canadian Football leagues. The Piranha will join the International Football League for their 1997 season. "City Island has become this region’s focal point for sports and recreation and we are pleased to welcome a new member to our family of attractions," said Mayor Stephen R. Reed.

Home dates for the Piranha’s 1997 regular season include July 19, August 9 and 23, September 20, and October 4. The Piranha’s season opener on City Island on July 19 will feature the Fredericsburg Generals, whose place kicker is former Washington Redskins’ start kicker Mark Mosley. Their 1997 season includes three opponents listed amongst the top 25 teams in the nation for 1996.

Fitness Center Transforms into Full-Service Spa
Camp Hill, Pa. – Slim Time Spa, a fitness center exclusively for women located at 2300 Old Gettysburg Road, is changing its services to offer complete full-service spa options for the public.

Realizing the need for stress release in addition to health and fitness, Director Cheryl Will has brought Antuanette Wheeler on staff to offer the spa services. Wheeler, a graduate of The Alternative Conjunction School of Massage Therapy in Lemoyne, will be offering hydrating skin wraps, facial cleansing massages, hand and foot treatments, salt glows, informative classes and ear candling in addition to many different types of massage. Women who are not members of the spa can also utilize the new services. "With the stress put on women today, they need a place of their own to relax," said Will.

Holy Spirit Offers Community Education
Camp Hill, Pa. – The Holy Spirit Health System will offer a series of community education programs in July for expectant families, teens interested in babysitting, and people concerned about drug abuse.

Classes are being offered to inform parents and other family members about pregnancy and childbirth. The Childbirth Preparation Class is offered as a seven-week series designed to completely meet the health needs of expectant families. Part I of the program will be offered on July 7 and 14 and is geared toward the first trimester of pregnancy. The second part of the program will be offered as a weekly Tuesday series, July 29-August 26 and as a weekly Wednesday series, July 30-August 27 and concentrates on the third trimester. Additionally Holy Spirit will be holding a breastfeeding class and a Children’s Hour for siblings-to-be. To register for Birthplace classes or for more information, please call 763-2301.

The Safe Sitter program, offered in two-day sessions for girls and boys ages 11 to 13, is a nationally renowned, medically accurate instructional series that teaches youngsters for to handle emergencies when caring for younger children. Registration for the July series is limited. Janet Day, R.N can be contacted. at 763-2356 for more information.

Holy Spirit’s Drug and Alcohol Medical Services offers a six-part Family Addiction Education Series designed for relatives, friend and employers who are concerned about drug abuse. Participants learn how to tell if a person is addicted, how addiction affects others, what choices are available, and a step-by step plan for making changes. The next series will begin Tuesday, July 1. Please call 763-2369 for more information.

Giant Prehistoric Fish Surfaces at the State Museum
Harrisburg, Pa. – The State Museum of Pennsylvania unveiled the prehistoric fish Dunkleosteus, its newest addition, on June 20. The life-size cast of Dunkleosteus will be the centerpiece of the permanent gallery upgrade concerning the origin and evolution of the major groups of fishes. The cast will be exhibited with a real (fossilized) large bony plate, belonging to Dunkleosteus, which was discovered in Erie County in 1994.

Mount Gretna to present a "Magical" Summer Season
Mt. Gretna, Pa. – This year marks the 22nd summer season of chamber music and jazz in the wooded ambiance of Mt. Gretna, described by Time magazine as one of "6 of the best" small US music festivals. Music from Gretna, a year-round concert series, begins its second summer in the Leffler Chapel and Performing Center at Elizabethtown College. The entire season, performed in three unique venues, is designed to celebrate the magic in music. The 24 summer concerts, between June 13 and August 31, include 10 chamber music performances in Mt. Gretna, seven chamber music in Elizabethtown, 5 jazz shows in the Mt. Gretna Playhouse and two in the Mt. Gretna Campmeeting Tabernacle.

This summer features outstanding musicians from around the world and across the U.S. including The Saint Petersburg Quartet from Russia, The Jacques Thibaud Trio from Berlin, and Japanese pianist, Ricko Aizawa among others. Seven jazz concerts, titles the ‘Magic or Jazz’ and coordinated by Grammy-winning producer Marty Ashby, feature some of the greatest jazz legends of our time including Nancy Wilson, Herbie Mann and The Count Basie Orchestra.

The 10 chamber music concerts in Mt. Gretna are presented at 7:30 p.m. Sunday evenings and preceded by popular "peanut butter and jelly prelude" talks and demonstrations. The opening seven concerts are first performed on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Elizabethtown, followed by "Chocolate Chat" question and answer sessions. Tickets are available by calling 717-361-1508.

CREDC Names Head of
Entrepreneurial Development Center
Harrisburg, Pa. – The creation of an Entrepreneurial Development Center to serve new and growing businesses in the capital region has taken another major step forward with the appointment of Penn State Harrisburg faculty member Robert Russell as its director.

The EDC, to be located at 18th and State Streets in Harrisburg, is being created through the efforts of the Capital Regional economic Development Corporation (CREDC), a division of the Susquehanna Alliance, in conjunction with the City of Harrisburg and the region’s business, education, and public service communities. Dr. Russell, and assistant professor of management for six years in the PSH School of Business Administration, looks forward to the challenge of establishing the EDC and views it as "a necessary first step toward building an entrepreneurial network in the region."

Dr. Russell, who will continue his teaching duties at PSH in addition to direction the EDC, views the relationship between the University and the center as a symbiotic one. Penn State Harrisburg student interns will be earning credit as interns at the center and will provide, under direction and supervision, needed services to clients. "Seniors in the School of Business Administration and graduate students working toward their Master of Business Administration at Penn State Harrisburg will be involved in the internship opportunity, gaining added professional experience and sharing current educational trends in business and entrepreneurship which they have gained in the classroom," he said.

Brew Brothers, Brewmaniacs
Harrisburg, Pa. – Two Brothers of Mechanicsburg, Pa are scheduled to open Troegs Brewing Company in July 1997. The brothers in the new microbrewery include John Trogner, who began his apprenticeship at the oasis Brewery in Boulder, Co., winner of six medals at the Great American Beer Festival. John has also taken brewing courses at the Siebel Institute, the Rocky Mountain Brewers Symposiums and is a member of the Master Brewers Association of America. Chris Trogner graduated from the University of Colorado School of Business Administration in Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He has also studied under Dr. Keith Thomas at Brewlab’s brewing school through the University of Sunderland in England where he learned British Brewing Techniques in the classroom, laboratory, and placement training at a British microbrewery.

Construction on Troegs Brewery, located in a South Harrisburg industrial warehouse, is nearly complete. They have recently installed their new 20-barrel JV Northwest brewhouse, three 60-barrel fermenters and German made Krones, a bottling line that is capable of filling 120 bottles a minute. Initially Troegs is going to bottle two brews: an American-style Pale Ale and an ESB. John states that, "we want to offer our artistic expression of traditional European styles, to bring back the way beer was once brewed." As you enter the brewery there is an English pub-style tasting room that will be open to the public on Saturdays for free samplings and tours of the brewery.

Academy Receives Two More National Awards
Harrisburg, Pa. – Academy of Medical Arts and Business, its students and staff have received over 10 national awards in recent years, making the Academy the number one award winning career school in the country.

The Academy of Medical Arts and Business is proud to announce that Pamela J. Brunick, R.C.A., head of the Academy’s Dental Assistant Program, has received the Career College Association’s National Achievement "Teacher of the Year" Award at the recent CCA National Convention held in San Diego, Ca.. Thousands of teachers from 750 career colleges nationwide were eligible for this award.

Brunick, of York Springs, has received other national and statewide awards during her last nine years as an Academy instructor. She is a registered Dental Assistant, holds PA State Board of Dentistry Radiographic Certification and is a former Academy graduate.

Additionally, Mary Ellen Zettlemoyer, R.MA., has been given the National "Graduate of the Year" Award by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. Zettlemoyer, of Steelton, is currently a Medical Assistant Instructor at the Academy and a prominent author. She earned her Medical Assistant Specialist Degree from the Academy. Over 400,000 students nationwide were eligible to receive this award.